Panda`s new pal!





Princess Panda Cat

Ciao bella amica,
I have a new friend! His name is Sox, although I like to call him Tripod. He`s a kitten that came to our clinic a few weeks ago following a severe injury to one of his front legs. The damage was irreparable and one of our highly skilled veterinarians, Dr Ryan, had to amputate.
Well I`ll tell ya, that cute guy (Tripod, not Dr Ryan...although he`s pretty cute too!) has not skipped a beat. I think somebody should tell him he`s only got three legs, as I don`t think he knows. He`s all healed up and zipping around this place like the energizer bunny! You should see him go, amazing! Little on the cocky side, called me "fatty" the other day. Got a lot of chutzpah for a guy with a really bad haircut...lol! Anyways, I`m just big-boned, everyone knows that.
He`s not to keen on me yet, but I`ll win him over...everyone loves the Princess!

Big news at Pet Vet is the story of Dutchess. A very brave mastiff who was shot in the neck trying to save her owner. What a hero! She`s currently being treated at our Morningside clinic. Her injuries require a lot of expensive treatment and she desperately needs all the help we can muster. For more information go to;
http://www.indiegogo.com/HelpDutchess
Lets rally together and save this girl!

Highland Creek Heritage Festival

Highland Creek Heritage Festival

Come on out today, Saturday
June 16th to the Highland Creek Heritage Festival and meet some of the
staff of Morningside Pet Hospital, the Pet Vet Hospital located in
Scarborough. 

Lisa and Alysha are very excited to be
representing our hospital at the HIghland Creek Heritage Festival with our
refreshment station for all our furry friends and their families in
the area. It's going be to be a full day of fun and excitement, with
a parade, vendors, live entertainment, and a  "Mutt" Show.
Come on out and meet us and enjoy a day with your family. 

Lisa is our Registered Veterinary Technician, also a nurtritional and
rehabilitation specialist. Ask her about your pet's diet, or what she
reccomends as an alternative or if you have any questions about what you
can do to help your pet following a surgery she would be happy to give you
her advice.

Alysha is our Practice Coordinator and Client Care
Specialist, she will be happy to assist you with any questions you have
regarding your pet's preventative health care, scheduling your Free
New Client Consultation, or any questions regarding services offered at
our clinic.

We look forward to getting out into the community
and having a day of Fun in the Sun.
Remember.... If you are bringing
your dog to the Highland Creek Heritage Festival, stop by our 
refreshment table to help keep you and your pet well hydrated. 

Jack

Our Jack...He will be missed!

Princess Panda Cat

Hello friends, it is with a heavy heart I write today.
My BFF, partner in crime and closest confidant, went to kitty Heaven last night.
Surrounded by his loving Pet Vet family, Jack the cat was euthanized due to having cancer. It was a sad day, not a dry eye in the house.

Jack and I spent many years together at Pet Vet Credit Valley Hospital. Shared some great memories. He was the Ying to my Yang. I`m going to miss that guy!
I don`t think of it as putting him down, but sending him up....I can just see him running around that big kitty playground in the sky. Pain free and having a blast!
We will never forget you. R.I.P Jack

princess panda cat

Hola Amigos!
Well sure has been busy in the clinic lately. Heartworm season is here again. Nice to see so many humans making sure their fur babies are protected against those nasty parasites.
I like to do the old meet and greet...the people love it! So some lady comes in today and refers to me as a "chunky monkey!" Gasp!!! Anyways, I promptly barfed up a hairball on her shiny shoes. She was not too happy about that and was yelling profanities and something about; "Jimmy Choos?"...Well, I don`t know who that guy is, but I wouldn`t want to be in his shoes when she finds him!

Maverick!

Hey everyone! I'm Maverick, I heard my mommy told you all about me last week. Now it is my turn to tell you all about  me.....My mommy keeps calling me a piranha. I don't know what that means hehehehe but I do try to bite my mommy all the time. She tells me to stop it but my tooths are coming in and I want to chew on everything and body part I can get at hehehe. I know I can get away with it as I am just soooo handsome and I know how to play to cute card to get me out of trouble.

My mommy has given me kibble just like the dogs. I was so happy to be a big boy now and get to eat the big boy food! Now I don't have to try and steal the dogs food. It was risky as Milo tried to eat me a few times. But now that I'm big I can take on these doggies. I just hunch my back, puff up and spit at him when he bugs me. Unfortunately it doesn't always scare him away. This is where my tooths come in handy.

Today I went to work with my mommy. I saw lots of really big dogs. I scared them all away on my own. I may be small but I'm fierce. I saw lots of cool things, like surgery (that's what my mommy said it was). I watched her with all the other doggies and kitties and they all seem to love her and the doctors too. It was a very tiring day watching all the things that happen in treatment and of course I was playing with my toys. I love my toys. I have sooo many I never know which one to play with first. Yawn! I think its my bed time now, I am very very sleepy. Nighty Night everyone. I will keep you updated on Morningside Pet Hospital and what goes on behind the scenes.

Princess Panda

Bonjour mes amis! It is I, Panda the cat. Due to my overwhelming popularity and ever increasing adoring fan club, it has been decided I should have my own blog spot.
For those of you who do not know who I am..? (All 5 of you). I am Panda, a.k.a, Princess Panda. Resident clinic cat, at Pet Vet Credit Valley.
My days are spent meandering the hallways, awaiting my well trained humans to open doors for me to go wherever I may choose (suckers!). My goal of the day (everyday), is to score as many nibbles as possible.
Those crazy humans say I need to lose weight?...pffft!! So what if I have a little junk in the trunk! Hey, fat bottomed girls make the rockin world go round.
Today we played hide and seek...guess who raided the cookie jar when everyone ran off to hide....woohoo..Score!!
Anyways, I`m feeling a little tired, time for my 15th nap of the day. I`ll be checking in regularly with updates on what`s going around the clinic, health advice and of course, weight loss tips. Stay tuned!

Diabetes Hits close to Home at Pet Vet Lakeshore

By:  Dr. Vinny Boyaninsky, Senior Veterinarian

Pet Vet Lakeshore Hospital, Mississauga, Ontario

Most of you know our hospital mascot “Harley” the

tabby cat.  Recently during his semi-annual wellness exam my staff reported he was sleeping more and not as playful. After his physical exam I drew a blood sample for a wellness screen that included a CBC (complete blood count)and 10 blood chemistry tests.  Harley has always been a very healthy active cat and I now had to tell my team that he was diabetic.

Almost everyone knows a friend or acquaintance who is diabetic.  What most people may not realize is that diabetes may be present in their own home, possibly in a feline friend.

Diabetes is a group of diseases that result from either inadequate insulin production or the inability of cells to respond to this hormone.  Insulin is necessary to help move glucose from the blood stream into tissue cells for use as energy.  The predominant characteristic of diabetes is the presence of high levels of glucose in the blood…this is known as hyperglycemia.

In humans, one type of this disease is known as Type I or insulin-dependent diabetes.  This illness results from the body’s immune system destroying the cells that make insulin.   This is the predominant form of diabetes in our canine companions and there is no known way to prevent it.

Type II, or non-insulin dependent diabetes, accounts for 90-95% of diabetes in people and 85-90% of cases in cats.  In this instance, the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin either become exhausted or they fail to respond to signals to produce the hormone.  The important aspect of this to remember is that it is possible for treatment to lead to a remission of the disease.

While the number of cases of diabetes in dogs has remained static for many years, some veterinarians feel that they are seeing an increasing number of diabetic cats.  Although the true incidence of feline diabetes is not precisely known, estimates for North America show that about 1 in every 200-400 cats develop this disease.  What is important to remember is that as our cats have developed a tendency towards obesity, diabetes cases have risen rapidly.

Being obese or overweight is a risk factor for Type II diabetes because of the chronic inflammatory state obesity produces.  This leads to a reduction in insulin sensitivity.  In addition, fat cells in overweight animals stop producing a certain hormone essential for proper insulin receptor function.

Cats with diabetes often go extended periods of time with no real sign that anything is wrong.   When signs do appear, the first indications are a cat who needs to use the litter box more frequently and who is drinking greater amounts of water.  Unfortunately, cat owners are not always aware of these signs, especially if their kitty often goes outdoors.  This means that many cats aren’t diagnosed for months after the onset of diabetes.

Without diagnosis and treatment, diabetes will eventually cause a metabolic condition known as ketoacidosis. This leads to dangerous changes in the blood chemistry, dehydration and eventually, death.

When cats are seen by a veterinarian, this disease is often diagnosed with a simple blood test.  Hyperglycemia or any glucose in the urine (glucosuria) is often indicative of diabetes.  Veterinarians can also use a blood test known as serum fructosamine to determine the average blood glucose values over the course of the last three weeks. 

In some cases, cats don’t get into the veterinarian until the disease has progressed even further.  In these cases, the presence of ketones (a by-product of using fatty acids for energy) in the urine is a definitive indicator of complicated diabetes.

Unlike diabetic dogs who will be on insulin replacement for the rest of their lives, it is possible to treat cats and even cause remission.  The goal of treatment in cats is to restore the functionality of the beta cells and their ability to produce insulin.   In fact, new evidence is now showing that high protein, low carbohydrate diets are instrumental in helping cats defeat diabetes.  In short, although your feline friend may need insulin initially, you might be able to reduce or even eliminate this medication as you help the cat lose weight.

As with any medical condition, the very best source of information will be your veterinarian.

Dr. Vinny Boyaninsky, Pet Vet Lakeshore Hospital

I highly recommend twice yearly exams for all my patients and annual blood testing. 

Adventures of Maverick

I wanted to share a story of a very cute and crazy kitten that has just recently come into my life. I named him Maverick as he thought he was larger than life the first time he met my cat Izzy. Maverick was brought into our clinic on a Friday afternoon. A lady found him all alone in a park. Unsure of how old he really was we guessed he was about 2 weeks old. He was just so tiny and helpless. It was heartbreaking just knowing that he was left alone. My heart melted and I had to take him home with me for the weekend(so I thought). He is now 5 weeks old!Its been a very long weekend!! I think he is staying. He still comes to work with me a few times a week as he is still too young to be left on his own. Everyone at work loves him!
My main concern was Maverick and my Jack Russell Terrier Milo getting along. Right now he is curled up with Milo. So I guess they get along pretty well. Watching him grow is amazing. Everyday he gets bigger and bigger and crazier and crazier lol but I love him. He is now carrying around all of his toys in his mouth and doing the stairs like a champ. He is a very cuddly little boy and he definitely knows how to brighten up any ones day. I will update everyone on Maverick as he grows and encounters new things.